Over the winter holidays, maintenance workers at Halifax, Nova Scotia's Scotiabank Centre discovered a piece of rock-and-roll history in a freight elevator. While removing a bumper, a panel that protects the walls of the lift, a signature belonging to Steven Tyler, the lead singer of Aerosmith, was revealed.
Known for hits such as "Dream On," "Walk This Way," and "Love in an Elevator," the Rock and Roll Hall-of-Famers have played at least two concerts at the Halifax venue. Aerosmith's most recent show was on December 28, 1993, back when the Scotiabank Centre — the largest multi-purpose facility in Atlantic Canada — was known as the Halifax Metro Centre. Tickets to the event sold for a mere CAN$32.50.
"It's funny to be starstruck by an autograph, but it is a really cool piece of rock history to have his autograph in our facility," said Adria Young, a spokesperson for Events East, the Crown corporation that runs the Scotiabank Centre and Halifax Convention Centre. Young noted that, beginning in the late 1980s, performers and bands would take this specific freight elevator to travel from the loading bay to the arena. Over the years, it became a "funny little custom" for people to sign their names on the elevator's wall.
Some longtime staffers remember signatures from stars such as Guns N'Roses singer Axl Rose and Canadian musician Bryan Adams. Young said the wall may have had signatures from artists Neil Young, Billy Idol and Alice Cooper, but, over time, staff members, security guards and vendors also signed the wall, making it appear unsightly. The wall was painted over in the late '90s, and bumpers were installed to protect the elevator from damage.
Fortunately, Tyler's signature was preserved. With maintenance work now complete, the autograph is once again removed from sight. "We can imagine there are similar treasures hidden throughout the facility from artists and athletes and figures over the last 50 years, so we hope to uncover more of those in time," said Young.